Chapter 2
After what seemed like forever, Sho finally made his way toward the forest he had spotted miles away.
It took him quite a long time before he began seeing any sign of life.
At some point, he noticed a small lizard-like creature crawling into the ground and burying itself beneath the dirt.
That was the only other living thing he had seen in this new world. And despite his curiosity to examine what kind of creature it could be, he also knew better than to act recklessly.
Do not tamper with the unknown.
This was a motto he lived by.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Sho folded both his arms, his gaze reaching deep into the tall trees and the thick, unsettling atmosphere between them.
The sun was setting, which made it all the more obvious that he needed to act fast.
'Cella, does your information extend to telling me whether it's safe to enter this forest?'
[Unfortunately, I can only discern that this forest does indeed contain several living organisms. It also carries traces of mana. Beyond that, your safety is not something I can calculate.]
Sho sighed.
'Figures. That just proves your God of Information title has its limits.'
He looked toward the forest once more.
His options were thin. He could either go in and find a way to build shelter for the night, or he could stay out in the open and wait to see what kind of creatures revealed themselves after sundown.
Neither choice was particularly appealing, but standing still felt worse.
'Looks like we're making the unsafe call, then. I'd rather die in there than out here.'
Before he could take a single step--
Phew!
An arrow landed between his legs.
Sho immediately looked down and saw it was indeed an arrow, carved from nothing but wood. No metal tip, no fletching to speak of, yet the force behind it had driven it clean into the ground.
Just as he raised his head to scan for the shooter, another arrow struck straight through his foot, pinning him where he stood.
"Arrgh!"
Sho dropped to his knees, his hand shooting to his foot as white-hot pain surged through his entire body.
Blood was already leaking from the wound, soaking into the dirt beneath him.
[Notice: Multiple hostile figures have surrounded your vicinity. Advising immediate retreat.]
'Well, your advice is a little late, Cella. I doubt they'll let me off with a warning.'
Looking up, Sho could now make out the figures that had shot at him.
Some of them were perched on thick tree branches above, bows still drawn. Others were on the ground, slowly stepping out from the musky darkness of the forest to close the distance.
From what he could see, they were red-skinned and towered at roughly fourteen feet tall. Curved horns jutted from the tops of their heads, sharp and ridged like cracked stone.
Even more striking, their long red tails dragged along the ground as they walked, and their green eyes glowed with a sharpness unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Monsters.
That was the only word that came to mind.
"Hax ajaoa aahai?" one of them spoke.
It was the biggest in the group, standing at the forefront with a crude, spear-like weapon gripped in one massive hand.
'Shit. Some kind of native people? And I can't understand a word they're saying.'
Sho raised his hands slowly, palms open, trying his best to show them he was no threat.
"I am not a thre--"
"Ahh!"
One of the creatures that had flanked him from the side lunged forward and slammed something hard against the back of his head.
Almost instantly, Sho crumpled to the ground. His vision blurred, then faded to black as his cheek met the dirt.
....
[Welcome back.]
The voice of his system was the first thing he heard as his eyes slowly cracked open.
'Urgh, my head...'
Sho tried to reach for the back of his skull where the blow had landed, only to realize his arms wouldn't move. He had been tied to a tree, thick rope binding him from his shoulders to his wrists.
The only part of his body he could truly move were his legs, and even those were useless since he was sitting flat on the ground.
'What the... the hell is going on here?'
[I have gathered information during the time you were unconscious.]
[The creatures that captured you are known as devils. They are hyper-territorial, especially toward humans. While I do not yet know the full reason behind this hostility, I would estimate it stems from deep-rooted racial conflict.]
Sho, forcing himself to stay calm, noticed three devils seated on a wide tree branch near a crackling fireplace, not too far from where he was bound.
"Haianam."
"AHAAINANA!"
"Riianaa."
They were conversing among themselves, but he could barely make out a word of it.
Seeing as the sun was back up, Sho figured he must have been unconscious the entire night. That, at the very least, worked in his favor. If they had wanted him dead, they would have done it while he slept.
[Would you like me to translate their language in real time?]
'If you can, then yeah. Go ahead.'
[Translating...]
"Damn it, why the hell are we still keeping this human alive? Let's kill him and get it over with already." One of the devils spoke first, his green eyes burning with open hatred.
The sheer venom in his voice had Sho's stomach turning.
Then the other devil spoke right after. This one looked far older, his horns chipped and worn with age.
"If we were to do that without knowing who sent him, then we would gain nothing. After all, this human raised his hand to the sky. That was a declaration of war."
"Tsk. Stinking humans, always wanting war. Violent bastards, the lot of them."
'Dude, what the hell? Since when was raising my hand a declaration of war? Ah... that actually explains why they kept me alive. They're looking to get answers out of me.'
Sho tilted his head to the side, a single tear slipping from the corner of his eye before he could stop it.
'Except I have nothing to give them. It's not like I can tell them I died and got sent to this world for God knows what reason. That would sound more like a lie than if I just made something up entirely.'
"Oh, look. He's awake."
Sho's face drained of color as all three devils turned their piercing green eyes toward him at once.
They rose slowly from their seats, reaching down to collect their weapons from the ground as they began closing the distance between them and where he was tied.
The oldest among them glanced back toward the village and spoke in a low, commanding tone.
"Inform her ladyship. Tell her the prisoner has awakened."